


Rebirth Day

by calenlily



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Gen, Polyamorous Character, Trans Character, Weyr culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21931558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calenlily/pseuds/calenlily
Summary: There is nothing that Mikkiri, Senior Weyrwoman of High Reaches, loves so much as a Hatching. Each one seems to have its share of surprises.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 98
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Rebirth Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kastaka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kastaka/gifts).



> I vaguely imagine this as being set in an AU 10th Pass where AIVAS was never found but the social progress begun in the 9th Pass has continued.

There is nothing that Mikkiri, Senior Weyrwoman of High Reaches, loves so much as a Hatching. The excitement and emotion of the day are infectious, and experiencing vicariously the thrill of Impression never fails to take her back to her first moment of connection with her own golden Margeth. As the next generation of dragons are welcomed into the world, their young partners are reborn into new lives. It's a glorious occasion under any circumstances, but thirty Turns into the pass, the break from routine and reminder of renewal is all the more welcome to battle-weary riders.

The candidates file in, congregating in a nervous white-robed bunch. There are nearly 50 hopefuls for the 28 eggs of this clutch, including over a dozen girls, enough to ensure a good selection for queen and greens alike. (The gold egg is Margeth's second in consecutive clutches – not that the Weyr has a particular need for more queens right now – and weren't Weyrleader G'ren and bronze Griffith unbearably smug about  _ that _ . Then again, her mate is naturally inclined to smugness and she doubts she'll ever be able to break him of it.) There's a good batch of weyrbred teens on the sands today, including her own daughter Genniri, youngest of her three blood children. The Searched candidates who augment their numbers come mostly from Pern's crafthalls this Turn. Mikkiri had come from a Weaverhall herself, and admits a personal preference for craftbred candidates. Most of the young people who are Searched choose to remain at the Weyr even if they fail to Impress, and candidates with a background in the crafts bring skills that will make them an asset to the Weyr whether on dragonback or off.

“Up, Auntie?” the high child's voice cuts through the low resonance of the dragons' humming. Obligingly she lifts little Theana to her lap where the girl can have a clearer view of the frantically rocking eggs. G'ren's youngest daughter has been permitted to watch the Hatching with the Weyrleaders as her mother, the Headwoman's Second, is much occupied with the preparation of the evening's feast. At three Turns, Theana is a very active child and would no doubt be underfoot in the kitchens.

The humming swells to a crescendo, and the first two eggs break almost at the same time. Bronze and green, both hatchlings Impress quickly, the former to a tall Harper boy and the latter to the eldest of the female candidates. A brown breaks shell next, and then another green; they hatch on opposite sides of the sands but have nearly met in the middle by the time they find their partners, a pair of weyrbred brothers.

The golden egg breaks early on and dramatically, shattering outward all at once to leave the dragonet shaking out her glistening wings and looking about her surroundings with an air of surprise. Mikkiri's money for the queen's choice had been on a holdbred brunette from Telgar, a girl whose talent for organization and willingness to work hard have made her invaluable to the Headwoman in the sevenday since her arrival, and who has already Impressed two fire lizards.

The gold hatchling passes the brunette without even seeming to look at her, though, heading instead for the Lord of Crom's niece.

_ My children do not choose poorly _ , Margeth remarks, an unsolicited response to her rider's surprise.

_ Of course not _ , the Weyrwoman says. She's not about to contradict her queen, and in any case the inner workings of draconic choice are beyond human comprehension; she knows better than to think an unexpected choice is an unfitting one. Indeed, watching the new gold rider lead her hatchling off the sands, she observes that the girl definitely has the right demeanor of authority. And the Headwoman will not doubt be glad to keep her new assistant, should the other girl fail to Impress.

Two greens at once make a beeline for a knot of female candidates who have been slow to move away from the remains of the queen egg, and in their haste get tangled up in each other and an unhatched egg that stands in their path. A stocky girl from a Beastcrafthold steps in to help them get sorted out, swiftly assisted by a few of her companions. (Nearly half the clutch so far have been greens, and Mikkiri is all the more glad that they have so many girls to stand today.)

By the time the commotion settles, both greens have found their matches among the girls, one to a slender blonde from the Healer Hall and the other to a petite weyrbred redhead. The Beastcrafter who'd taken initiative is on her knees in front of the dragonet who'd emerged from the egg that had gotten caught up in the midst of the tangle, a hatchling whose wings are gleaming wetly blue.

Well, then. That certainly wasn't something one saw in every clutch, but neither is it unprecedented, and Mikkiri cannot disapprove.

Caught up in the unfolding of that situation, she almost misses her daughter's Impression until Theana gives an excited cry and spills from her lap. The little girl is on her feet and peering over the edge of the tier. “Look at Geni!”

She follows the direction of the child's gaze in time to see Genniri helping a very small dark green to her feet, an expression of exultant joy on the teen's face. That's going to be a well-matched pair, she has no doubt. There's a slight pang intermixed with her joy for her daughter, knowing her child is now destined for a life of battle – and yet, she cannot imagine any other fate for her, and knows Geni's fierce spirit will be a credit to the fighting wings.

“She's going to give the Weyrlingmaster a load of trouble,” G'ren comments beside her.

Mikkiri laughs, raising an eyebrow. “ _ Our _ daughter? Did you ever expect anything else?”

  
  


Mikkiri makes the rounds of the proud new riders and disappointed hopefuls as the Hatching Feast gets underway. She makes certain that their atypical new blue rider is one of the first she speaks to; that pair are likely to have a rougher time than most, if she knows anything of weyrlings, and she wants to make it clear to them and their peers that they have the Weyrwoman's support.

“Congratulations,” she greets the new rider warmly. “Your Pinneth is a fine blue. Shorna, wasn't it?”

The teen meets her eyes squarely, and says, polite but firm, “It's R'nan now, please.”

Mikkiri knows better than to let her surprise show on her face. _ She does know that's a male name, right? _ she says to Margeth.

_ So is he _ , the queen replies dryly.

_ Ah _ . She smiles at young R'nan. “An excellent choice of name.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this satisfies. Your prompt for Hatching stories gave me a fun chance to write some OCs who gave been floating around my head for a while. This was supposed to be primarily R'nan's story, but Mikkiri kind of took over.


End file.
